Window shade attachment



May 30, 1944. w. JOHNSON WINDOW SHADE ATTACHMENT Original Filed July 1, 1940 Patented May 30, 1944 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW SHADE ATTACHNIENT William Johnson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Harold Warp, Chicago, 111.

Original application July 1, 1940, Serial No.

343,360. Divided. and this application November 3, 1943, Serial No. 508,816

Claims.

This invention relates to shades in, general, and particularly to window shades made from fabric or fibrous material fastened to a spring roller of the conventional type.

This application is a. division of applicant's-H bottom end where the usual. wood cross slat is arranged. This cross slat is ordinarily retained in'position by a pocket formed by folding the.

shade material upon itself, and stitching the ma.- terial. If the shade materialis to be replaced, or the shade renovated such as by turning the. material end, for end, or if the worn lower end is. cut-01f, a new pocket must be provided for the slat. Suitably stitching the, material to provide the required pocket and to render the shade presentable from an aDDearancestandpOint is difficult and a tedioustask, which, cannot bedone ordinarily by the local retail dealer or by the purchaser. It is, therefore, desirable that some means be provided to obtainthe full use of the unworn portion of the shade, or to permit new.

material to be applied readily, or use the. old,

material reversed, without the necessity of reverting to the painstaking method of sewinga slat receiving pocket.

An important object of the invention is the shadesof different widths, andcapable of being.

readily and easily applied toexisting shades as a repair part, or to new or other material, sub: stituted for the worn orreplaced material, or for new shades entirely.

A further object is the provision of new and novel means, preferably made of metal, and in the form of telescoping or non-telescoping ferrules or overlying ferrules or sleeves, to replace the conventional wooden stick or slat and eliminate the conventional pocket but still secure the end of the shade material in rigid fashion and present a neat and ornamental appearance.

Afurther object of the invention is theprovision of an improved bottom bar for window shades, the bottom bar having .springy or resilient characteristics, either the form of an integral,

positionedand fabricated in a selected. manner to. permit quick and easy application or. removal thereof to the fabric and still present a made to. order. or tailored appearance.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent throughout the. progress. of the following. specification.

The accompanying drawing illustrates certain selected embodiments of the present invention and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a detail elevational view of a windowshade and embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional View on the line 2-.-2 of Fig. 1.;

Fig. 3. is a detail perspective view of one format an. improved bottom bar, showing itsapplication to the end of a. window shade;

Fig. 4 isa detail elevational view of a window.

shade and embodying a modified form of the invention; m

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the, line 55. of Fig. .4; and

Fig. 6 is. a. detail. perspective view of the bot comprising an inner member 4 andan outer telescoping ferrule member 5. The member 4 comprises an integral section bent about itself, as

indicated at B, to provide spaced legs 1 between which the shade material 2, preferablyfolded on. itself as indicated at 8, Fig. 3, is received. The body of the legs I is punched, inwardlyfrom. oppositesides, as indicated at 9, Fig. 3, to provide in-turnedteeth l0 Whichbite or dig intothe looped end H of the shade material.

Flanges l2 are bent outwardly from the upper ends of the legs 1 and are adapted to receive and support the telescoping or encasing ferrule 5.

When the ferrule 5 is appliedin position, as-

shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the engagement of the inner side walls of the ferrule 5 will press against the outwardly turned flanges i2, tending to force the legs 1 inwardly and cause the teeth It] to biteinto the shade material. The ferrule 5 comprises a bottom. l3, sidewalls l4, and in turned flanges 15. The in-turned flanges are adapted to rest upon the out-turned flanges l2 on the member 4.

To apply the bottom bar 3 to the end of the shade material 2, the shade material is put into the pocket between the spaced legs I. The ferrule 5 is then slipped thereover, causing the flanges l2 to be pressed inwardly and causing the teeth ID on the legs I to bite into the shad material.

A bottom ring l6 for the operating cord may be threadedly mounted in a threaded hole in the bottom I3 of the outer ferrule;5., r

The inner member 4 is in the form of a V or. U, with the integral legs 1 projecting outwardly from the sides. The teeth l bite into the material 2, and these teeth are punched inwardly from the sides 9. The normal tendency of the sides is to spread apart to permit easy insertion of the material, but when the outer tube 5 is applied, the inner surfaces l5 of the side walls M will press against the flanges l2 and squeeze the sides of the member 4 together, whereby the teeth ID will bite into the material. The teeth l0 may be so arranged as to fit into recesses formed in the opposite sides, or the teeth may be constructed in such a manner as to have interfitting relationship.

The modified form of bottom bar shown in Figs. 4 to 6 comprises a looped, or U-shaped, member 20 having spaced sides or legs. 2!. The upper longitudinal edges of each leg 2| are bent inwardly, as indicated at 22-, a short distance and then bent angularly downwardly to provide downwardly extending engaging legs 23. Each leg 23 is punched, as indicated at 24, to provide inwardly extending teeth 25 which are adapted to engage the bottom edge of the shade 2. The shade 2 may be looped about itself, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, to provide a two-ply construction, as indicated at 26 in Fig. 5. The material from which the bottom bar 20 is made is preferably resilient or springy material and may in-' clude metal, plastic, or any other material of a springy or resilient nature, or it may be some material which, when pressed, will retain its deformed position and condition. The bottom bar shown in Figs. 4 to 6 is adapted to have the shade material passed downwardly between the spaced legs 23 so as to grasp the shade material ther'ebetween, the teeth 25 biting into the material. If the material from which the bottom bar 20 is made is of springy material, it is spread apart a predetermined distance to permit the shade to enter, whereupon the material, due to its resiliency, will grasp the end of the shade and cause the teeth 25 to bite therein. If the bottom bar 20 is not made of resilient material, it should be made of some material which will retain-its shape when deformed. In the latter case the material is put in place between the spaced legs 23, at which time the bottom bar is pressed inwardly to cause the teeth to bite into the shade material and maintain itself in such engaging position.

The material from which the bottom bar 29 is made should be such that when the shade material is placed between the legs 23 the teeth will become embedded in the shade material and hold it in that position. When the shade matethrough the material it may be doubled in the form of a loop to provide a two-ply construction.

.- applicable for new shade constructions.

The invention therefore provides a shade bot tom slat which can be instantly applied and removed and, being ornamentaL'greatly enhances the appearance of the shade. The bottom bar structures herein shown, while particularly adapted for repairs to existing shades, are equally Each of the bottom bar devices is capable of being easily and readily applied, and the construction employed permits repairs to be made to the shade with the minimum amount of effort and at low .cost. The structures are particularly advantageous because they can be kept in stock as stock items by the local dealer or the purchaser who may apply them without eiiort and in the minimum length of time.

Changes may be made in the form, arrangement and construction of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing anyof its advantages, and the right is.

hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows: 1. A bottom bar for a window shade comprising an elongated substantially U-shaped member,

the upper longitudinal edges thereof being bent toward each other for ashort distance and then angularly downwardly, an end of the shade material being receivable between the resulting edges, and a plurality of teeth along each edge of said member adapted to beembedded in the shade material.

2. A bottom bar for window shades comprising an elongated substantially U-shaped member having spaced legs, the upper longitudinal edgesof the spaced legs being bent to provide flanges, an end of the material of the window shade being receivable between the spaced legs, and a plurality of teeth on the member adaptedto be embedded in the said shade material. 3. A bottom bar for window shades compris ing an elongated substantially U-shaped member having spaced legs, the upper longitudinal edges of the spaced legs being bent to provide flanges, an end of the material of the window shade being receivable between the spaced legs, a plurality ofteeth on the member adapted to be embedded in the said shade material, and a ferrule about the member to squeeze the legs together.

4. A bottom bar for window shades comprising a sheet metal inner member having spaced legs, teeth extending inwardly from said legs, a flange extending outwardly from each of said legs to tending inwardly from said legs, a flange extending outwardly from each of -said legs, said legs' being adapted to receive material of the shade therebetween and to be gripped by said teeth, and

a second member receivable over the first mem her and pressing eachfiange together to cause said teeth. to become embedded into the shade WILLIAM JoHNson.

material. 

